TASKED WITH THE PROMPT "TREE", I BEGAN WITH DRAWING SIMPLE FORMS THAT DESCRIBED THE ESSENCE OF THESE NATURAL FORMS, INSTINCTIVELY TURNING TO THE SPIRAL. I BEGAN TO CONSIDER WHY SUCH A FORM OCCURRED TO ME, AND THE SEVERED REMNANT OF A TREE STUMP CAME TO MIND, THE RINGS OF ITS EXPANSION EXPOSED.
THESE LINES BEGAN TO REMIND ME OF OF WHAT DRAWING MEANS TO ME IN MY WORK, A WAY OF RECORD KEEPING TRACKING MY HAND AND EMOTIVE STATES. THE METHODICAL NATURE OF THIS TYPE OF TIME KEEPING WAS SOMETHING I FELT INCREDIBLY CONNECTED TO, FINDING MY RELATION TO THE SILENT GIANTS, AND THUS FINDING THE ESSENCE I HAD BEEN SEEKING.
I SETTLED ON THE SPIRAL HOURGLASS SHAPE AS I IMAGINED WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO ISOLATE THE TIME-KEEPING LINES OF THE TREE, AND PULL THEM APART WITH MY HANDS. THE MUTE, YET ROBUST REPETITIVENESS OF THESE COMPACT LINES STACKED UPON ONE ANOTHER BEGAN TO FORM WHAT APPEARED TO BE A CHANNEL OF SOUND, THE REVERBERATION OF THESE MUTE CHORDS FINALLY PLUCKED AND RINGING OUT THE HISTORY OF THE TREE ITSELF.
IN THE MOTION OF CREATING THIS PIECE, I EXPERIENCED A MONOTONY THAT FELT ALMOST TRANCE-LIKE. IT BECAME A PART OF MY MUSCULAR MEMORY TO KNOW THE EXACT TIME IT TOOK TO COVER A CERTAIN DISTANCE OF THE FORM WITH THE LINE OF TWINE. WITH EVERY MOMENT OF WRAPPING, IT SEEMED TO DRAW ME CLOSER TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF PASSING TIME IN THE ESSENCE OF A TREE. THE MOTION RECALLED THAT OF WHAT IT MEANS TO WITNESS, AND TO BE PRESENT IN SUCH RECORDING.
WHILE KEEPING TRACK OF SUCH LINE, THERE IS A CONTINUOUS PROGRESSION THAT KEEPS EXPANDING AND COLLAPSING IN. THIS SENSATION RECALLS TO ME THE VOICELESS POWER OF PRESENCE, AND IMMENSE POWER OF REPETITION AND RITUAL. THE SINGLE LINE BECOMES STRONGER WHEN ALONGSIDE ITS SIMILAR, OUR BASES, LIKE THAT OF THE TRUNK OF A TREE, ARE STRENGTHENED BY OUR HISTORIES AND THE SIMULTANEOUS PRESENCE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, OF ALL SUCH STORIES, AT ONCE.